Deepdive: Canada's Public Report on Iran's Sophisticated Social Engineering Campaigns

This report from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security assesses the sophisticated social engineering and spear-phishing tactics employed by Iranian state-sponsored cyber actors. The report details how these actors create compelling online personas, often female, to build rapport with targets over extended periods. They leverage timely geopolitical events and emotional vulnerabilities to increase the success of their phishing campaigns. The targets are primarily individuals with access to valuable political, economic, or military information. The report concludes by discussing the increasing opportunities for such attacks due to online activity and advances in AI.

https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/targeted-manipulation-irans-social-engineering-and-spear-phishing-campaigns